Published 3:50 pm, Friday, March 21, 2014

More than a decade ago, General Motors discovered that its ignition systems were prone to sudden failure. The failure would cause engines to shut down, even when cars were hurtling down roads at high speed. GM has acknowledged reports of 12 deaths linked to the defect.

You would think that leaders of GM would have rushed to warn the public. You would think leaders of GM would have rushed to do this out of concern for public safety. Or a concern for its own reputation.

On Feb. 7, GM told federal regulators it would recall some of the vehicles with ignition problems. On Feb. 25, the company expanded the recall to 1.6 million cars that it built from 2003 to 2007. Dealers are being told to replace the ignition switch — a part said to cost no more than five bucks.

How did GM's leaders go for years without acknowledging problems with the company's ignition systems and rushing to fix them?

Maybe Ross Perot, once a GM board member, had it right when he said in Fortune Magazine in 1988: "At GM, if you see a snake, the first thing you do is go hire a consultant on snakes. Then you get a committee on snakes, and then you discuss it for a couple of years. The most likely course of action is ... nothing."

GM had time and reason to act. In 2005, GM warned its dealers about "inadvertent turning of key cylinders" in some models now under recall. The company devised a fix but later canceled it.

We anticipate that how GM survives this blow to its reputation will depend not on its top management — its credibility has taken a terrible hit. Survival will depend on the efforts of GM's local dealers around the country. They're the people who work directly with customers, the people who build loyalty, trust and confidence. Those dealers didn't create this problem; they stand to be victims, too, if GM sales take a hit. They will be key to saving the company.